# orderedItems[].summary
Addendum on my accessibility advice, refining it based on feedback/questions

# orderedItems[].content
After answering many questions on #accessibility and #screenreaders used by #blind, #LowVision, #PartiallySighted, #VisuallyImpaired people, I think it would be good to summarise them in their refined forms in one spot for easy reference.
1. Writing well as a general advice stands, however, I wrote my post in English and naturally included some points specific to English. Screen readers are programmed to work best with languages according to their spelling conventions regarding capitalisation, punctuation, and symbol usage; covering anything from casual to academic writing styles. Substituting letters with symbols/numbers falls outside of such conventions, meaning words will not read correctly.
2. #AltText, and the time it takes to write them, is very much appreciated, regardless of length or level of detail. However, the more detail you can put in the more we can appreciate the image and your reasons for sharing it.
3. Multi-word hashtags in CamelCase, yes: #ThisIsWhatAnAccessibleHashtagLooksLike. It does not matter where you place them; either in the post's text or at the end. The best analogy for screen reader users being able to deal with hashtags in text is that we've become used to them in the same way we're used to people saying "uh", "ummm", or other extraneous vocalisations when talking.
Bonus: By all means, use emojis for that extra bit of expression, but in moderation.
Final thoughts: Screen readers can be customised by the user to make it work best for them, including minimising any annoyances. The above points will help loads regarding shared content. Assume that a screen reader user has optimised their settings to deal with the rest.
Once again, thanks for reading! 😘
#FediTips #Mastodon #ScreenReaderUsers #inclusivity #community

# orderedItems[].contentMap.en
After answering many questions on #accessibility and #screenreaders used by #blind, #LowVision, #PartiallySighted, #VisuallyImpaired people, I think it would be good to summarise them in their refined forms in one spot for easy reference.
1. Writing well as a general advice stands, however, I wrote my post in English and naturally included some points specific to English. Screen readers are programmed to work best with languages according to their spelling conventions regarding capitalisation, punctuation, and symbol usage; covering anything from casual to academic writing styles. Substituting letters with symbols/numbers falls outside of such conventions, meaning words will not read correctly.
2. #AltText, and the time it takes to write them, is very much appreciated, regardless of length or level of detail. However, the more detail you can put in the more we can appreciate the image and your reasons for sharing it.
3. Multi-word hashtags in CamelCase, yes: #ThisIsWhatAnAccessibleHashtagLooksLike. It does not matter where you place them; either in the post's text or at the end. The best analogy for screen reader users being able to deal with hashtags in text is that we've become used to them in the same way we're used to people saying "uh", "ummm", or other extraneous vocalisations when talking.
Bonus: By all means, use emojis for that extra bit of expression, but in moderation.
Final thoughts: Screen readers can be customised by the user to make it work best for them, including minimising any annoyances. The above points will help loads regarding shared content. Assume that a screen reader user has optimised their settings to deal with the rest.
Once again, thanks for reading! 😘
#FediTips #Mastodon #ScreenReaderUsers #inclusivity #community

# orderedItems[].summary
long post on accessibility advice from a blind screen reader user

# orderedItems[].content
OK #Mastodon. I've seen several toots on #accessibility for #screenreader users, however, I've not seen one from a screenreader user (as far as I know). I've used ZoomText, Outspoken, JAWS (AKA JFW), Supernova, NVDA (Windows), and VoiceOver (both on Macs and iPhone). I don't have experience with Windows Narrator or TalkBack. I would like to rectify and clarify a few small things.
First off, any awareness of accessibility issues, and endeavours to make things more accessible is great. Keep going!
But…
Blind/low-vision people have been using the internet as long as everyone else. We had to become used to the way people share things, and find workarounds or tell developers what we needed; this latter one has been the main drive to get us here and now. Over the past decade, screen readers have improved dramatically, including more tools, languages, and customisability. However, the basics were already firmly in place around 2000. Sadly, screen readers cost a lot of money at that time. Now, many are free; truly the biggest triumph for accessibility IMHO.
So, what you can do to help screen readers help their users is three simple things.
1. Write well: use punctuation, and avoid things like random capitalisation or * halfway through words.
2. Image description: screen readers with image recognition built-in will only provide a very short description, like: a plant, a painting, a person wearing a hat, etc. It can also deal with text included in the image, as long as the text isn't too creatively presented. So, by all means, go absolutely nuts with detail.
3. Hashtags: this is the most commonly boosted topic I've seen here, so #ThisIsWhatAnAccessibleHashtagLooksLike. The capitalisation ensures it's read correctly, and for some long hashtags without caps, I've known screen readers to give up and just start spelling the whole damn thing out, which is slow and painful.
That's really all. Thanks for reading! 😘

# orderedItems[].contentMap.en
OK #Mastodon. I've seen several toots on #accessibility for #screenreader users, however, I've not seen one from a screenreader user (as far as I know). I've used ZoomText, Outspoken, JAWS (AKA JFW), Supernova, NVDA (Windows), and VoiceOver (both on Macs and iPhone). I don't have experience with Windows Narrator or TalkBack. I would like to rectify and clarify a few small things.
First off, any awareness of accessibility issues, and endeavours to make things more accessible is great. Keep going!
But…
Blind/low-vision people have been using the internet as long as everyone else. We had to become used to the way people share things, and find workarounds or tell developers what we needed; this latter one has been the main drive to get us here and now. Over the past decade, screen readers have improved dramatically, including more tools, languages, and customisability. However, the basics were already firmly in place around 2000. Sadly, screen readers cost a lot of money at that time. Now, many are free; truly the biggest triumph for accessibility IMHO.
So, what you can do to help screen readers help their users is three simple things.
1. Write well: use punctuation, and avoid things like random capitalisation or * halfway through words.
2. Image description: screen readers with image recognition built-in will only provide a very short description, like: a plant, a painting, a person wearing a hat, etc. It can also deal with text included in the image, as long as the text isn't too creatively presented. So, by all means, go absolutely nuts with detail.
3. Hashtags: this is the most commonly boosted topic I've seen here, so #ThisIsWhatAnAccessibleHashtagLooksLike. The capitalisation ensures it's read correctly, and for some long hashtags without caps, I've known screen readers to give up and just start spelling the whole damn thing out, which is slow and painful.
That's really all. Thanks for reading! 😘